Nordstrom

Bringing the fashion brand closer to Gen Z

Nordstrom has been setting fashion trends and delivering high-end shopping experiences for more than a century. But staying one step ahead today means understanding the values and desires of Gen Z.

With the goal of creating a one-of-a-kind experience that caters to the needs and perceptions of these shoppers, we helped Nordstrom forge a deep connection with Gen Z customers.

Navigating the pandemic aftermath

In the midst of the pandemic, Nordstrom noticed a lack of young shoppers in its stores. This is quite a challenge for any brand, as this group of consumers is one of the most profitable, reaching $360 billion in spending power.

The shopping behavior of Gen Z is among the countless things affected by the pandemic. Having gone fully online, they tended to switch brands quickly, making it difficult to retain them as customers.

To build a successful strategy and be a relevant brand for Gen Z, Nordstrom needed a deeper understanding of these buyers. That’s where our collaboration came in.

Go social or go home

Traditional marketing doesn’t work for Gen Z shoppers. Since they tend to multitask, they often ignore information that doesn’t catch their attention. This explains the popularity of TikTok, with 60% of its users being Gen Z.

At the same time, this generation requires a completely different approach than its millennial predecessors, with an emphasis on product value and brand personality.

That’s why we kicked things off by bringing a social-first, trend-driven lens to existing brand assets. This helped us make a direct contribution to Gen Z culture and broaden their understanding of who Nordstrom is and what the brand stands for.

Leveraging partnership

To reflect Nordstrom’s distinctive offering and enhance the campaign’s effect, we decided to take advantage of their partnership with online fashion retailer ASOS.

We defined the trends to incorporate, an appropriate tone, and ways of presenting them. To get the most success on TikTok we created original content that is engaging but doesn’t hit the audience over the head with messaging.

Micro talents with macro influence

More than half of Gen Z consider themselves “superfans” of someone or something. These are usually people with special talents, so-called micro-influencers. They generate up to 60% more engagement than macro-influencers.

That’s why we decided to bring in creators with a narrative bias to our campaigns. Because Gen Z follows these influencers the most, they’ve become our trusted source of recommendations and driving consideration around key shopping moments.

Rooting in Gen Z culture

We produced 200+ static images and 52 videos that lived across Nordstrom’s socials and website. This brought a significant increase in impressions and engagement, as well as more than one million influencer reach.

With our tailor-made content, we activated a workstream to keep Nordstrom agile and relevant in the cultural conversation with Gen Z.